This was a victory for Rafa Benitez. Well, vindication for the Newcastle United manager, at the very least.

As Magpies owner Mike Ashley watched on from the stands for the seventh United game in succession, the billionaire must surely have taken note of the four players who were instrumental in Newcastle's 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth.

True, this was an excellent team performance once again, but Newcastle's spine gave the Magpies a platform from which they could build and deliver a confidence-boosting victory.

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Salomon Rondon, who delivered a sublime all-round striking display of which even Newcastle legend Alan Shearer admitted he would have been proud, rightly captured the headlines after a magnificent brace.

But the Venezuelan was complemented by the consistently-excellent Martin Dubravka between the sticks, the repeatedly-impressive Federico Fernandez at centre-back, and the refreshing emergence of Ki Sung-yueng as a creative alternative to Jonjo Shelvey in midfield.

However, if it was not for Benitez's stubbornness, at least three of those four players would never have signed for Newcastle in the first place.

All four of Newcastle's talismanic figures from that Cherries victory are 29 years of age; they were all recruited during the Benitez era; while three of them boasted Premier League experience, the other had amassed well in excess of 200 club career appearances.

Ki was brought in on a free transfer from Swansea City during the summer window as a replacement for the departing Mikel Merino - and, although the club delivered the midfielder without too many complaints, he does not fit into their preferred profile of recruit.

Dubravka, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the Premier League's best goalkeepers, despite arriving as an unknown in January, and has transformed the way in which United play. And, while Benitez was belatedly delivered Dubravka during the middle of last season, the United hierarchy had previously stalled upon signing a new goalkeeper because Newcastle already had three senior shot-stoppers on their books.

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Fernandez was only brought in on transfer deadline day in August due to Benitez's belligerence, with Newcastle - admittedly with their manager's blessing - initially exploring younger options abroad, before finally signing the Argentine as injury cover for Florian Lejeune.

As for Rondon, well the Venezuelan only arrived on Tyneside following a summer-long internal discussion over who should lead the line for Newcastle this season.

Benitez had already long deemed Aleksandar Mitrovic as surplus to requirements, yet the club would ideally have liked the 24-year-old to have been given another opportunity to prove himself on Tyneside.

But, with Benitez steadfast in his opinion Mitrovic would not feature for him at Newcastle, United set about facilitating an exit for the Serbian - and sourcing a replacement.

While Benitez kept demanding that the club activate Rondon's £16.5million West Bromwich Albion release clause, the Magpies hierarchy made it clear to their manager that the Venezuela international would only be brought in on a potential loan deal - meaning he would not be recruited until the end of the window, if at all.

Eventually, with Benitez having rejected a string of younger European-based strikers who Newcastle had offered to make a move for instead and with Alassane Plea having opted to join Borussia Monchengladbach over the Magpies, United agreed a bespoke - and rather baffling - loan swap which saw Rondon arrive on Tyneside and Dwight Gayle spend the season at the Hawthorns.

By the start of November, Benitez's bold call did not look like paying off, with Newcastle bottom of the Premier League and Rondon having started just three matches due to fitness issues.

Yet, fast-forward a fortnight, and suddenly Benitez's obstinance appears to have paid off once again.

Make no mistake, Rondon's performance was truly memorable. While the Venezuelan's career itself cannot be mentioned in the same breath as that of Shearer or Les Ferdinand, this solitary all-round display arguably rivalled anything either of that duo have ever summoned up in terms of influencing a single result at St James' Park.

For the very first whistle Rondon was exceptional and, though he was fortunate that his first effort was parried straight back to him by Asmir Begovic in the seventh minute, he showed composure to find the back of the net at the second attempt.

From that moment on, the 29-year-old's confidence visibly grew - and he set about bullying Bournemouth's back three.

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And it was Rondon's second goal which will be talked about on Tyneside for years to come. Ki floated a lovely cross-field ball to Kenedy on the left, the Brazilian took a touch before whipping a deliciously-inviting cross to the front post, where Rondon showed real desire to meet the ball.

His thunderous header was past Begovic and into the top left-hand corner of the net in a flash - and it was truly reminiscent of the trademark goals both Shearer and Ferdinand used to score in the black-and-white No 9 shirt.

There were opportunities for Rondon to score a hat-trick after the break, too, but he directed a header off target and was thwarted by Begovic during the final few minutes.

Yet his performance was about so much more than just his goals; Rondon held up the ball, he brought his team-mates into play, and he was effective in everything he did.

Fernandez, too, - who had been lucky himself not to concede an early penalty after kicking David Brooks in the area - was commanding at the back, making vital interception after vital interception, and ordering around his fellow defenders.

Newcastle players embrace at the end of the win over Bournemouth at St James' Park (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Dubravka, meanwhile, made a string of vital saves throughout, including at the very end when he somehow managed to stick out an arm to parry Nathan Ake's point-blank effort, before Dan Gosling's follow-up was rightly ruled out for offside. There was little Dubravka could do about Jefferson Lerma's goal, but he was instrumental in ensuring the Cherries did not score another.

Then there was Ki's display in midfield; a player who had struggled to even make the bench in recent months ran the game, particularly during the first half, when he moved Bournemouth from side to side and was full of intent in his passing. The sumptuous cross-field ball he played to Kenedy for Rondon's second was a moment which epitomised the South Korean's performance.

As Ashley stood and applauded Newcastle off the pitch following a second-successive victory - one which has lifted United to 14th place in the table for this international break, little more than a week after they were bottom of the Premier League - it surely must have registered with the United owner that it was Benitez's 29-year-old signings who had orchestrated this victory.

You see, while the Newcastle hierarchy remain wedded to the belief that the Magpies should look to recruit players under the age of 26 where possible, Benitez recognises the need for battle-hardened top-flight operators in order to bring the best out of promising rookies.

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In close, end-to-end games such as this one against the Cherries, it is those experienced heads who will more often than not make match-winning contributions.

Rondon was Benitez's signing, and the United manager was always going to succeed or fail this season largely based upon how the striker performed.

Saturday's display at the very least has justified Benitez's decision-making in the transfer market - as did the telling contribution of three other experienced players. Whether that knowledge facilitates a change in approach from Ashley ahead of a crucial January transfer window is another matter entirely, however.